September 15th, 2006
Todd Sliss
Changing careers could have had the effects of a midlife crisis for Scarsdale’s Danny Bernstein, but moving from a family-owned apparel business to an entrepreneur in the field of youth athletics has given Bernstein nothing but joy, despite the occasional feeling of being “terrified.”
When the market changed several years ago, Bernstein and his father opted to sell their business to a competitor in order to save the jobs of their employees. That left Bernstein wondering what to do and in a way his kids’ experience with sports led him to the creation of Backyard Sports, which officially opened its doors this week with a basketball program at SUNY Purchase.
“It’s a huge chance,” Bernstein said. “It’s been two years that I’ve been focused on it.”
Bernstein has been involved with the village’s soccer, baseball and basketball programs, travel basketball and Rec Soccer Plus. He has also conducted clinics for many of the neighborhood associations.
As much as Bernstein has enjoyed being a part of the recreation and travel scene in Scarsdale, he still feels that parents and coaches have not fully embraced the true meaning of youth sports. He wants children to come away feeling energized, educated and eager to continue because that’s the type of experience he had growing up.
“The kids aren’t playing like we played a generation ago,” Bernstein said. “We want them to play with their peers and learn from each other. It’s cultural that it’s so scheduled and guarded. It affects their ability to play freely. The kids are under a microscope when they play. Parents have taken over the games.”
Bernstein’s vision comes from his own experience. Growing up on Long Island he enjoyed sports and had coaches who believed in him. Among his achievements was going from a 5-foot 6 back-up goalie to a starter and captain his senior year at Division III Amherst.
To this day he is still active as an athlete, garnering most of his joy from a local Saturday morning soccer game that is both fun and competitive.
“I’m 40 and I still play soccer on Saturday mornings,” Bernstein said. “These kids can’t play and peak at 14. I want them to enjoy it when they’re 40. I want to restore the joy.”
Bernstein is in the process of receiving a master’s degree in physical education at Manhattanville College and has spent two years putting together a curriculum for
his latest endeavor, which features weekly instruction for boys and girls, pre-K to eighth grade.
In working out a curriculum for Backyard Sports, Bernstein made three levels of programs: Freshman, Junior Varsity and Varsity. Freshman includes pre-K boys and girls, first-grade boys and girls, second-grade boys, second- and third- grade girls and third-grade boys, with each having its own day and time for a workout.
Junior varsity is for fourth- and fifth-grade boys and fourth- and fifth-grade girls.
Varsity is for sixth- through eighth- grade boys and six- through eighth- grade girls. Each group meets seven times, Freshman for 50 minutes and Junior Varsity and Varsity for 90 minutes.
Bernstein has teamed up with Mamaroneck assistant athletic director and health teacher Vin Minotti, who has coached basketball at Mamaroneck and Darien and Greenwich high schools in Connecticut, and Springfield College and Framingham.
“It was a no-brainer,” Minotti said. “The minute I met Danny it was a match. It’s his passion for the kids and how they feel about sports. We’ve spent well over nine months talking about all of this before we even put a ball in the kids’ hands.”
Bernstein and Minotti have come up with age-appropriate workouts for each level, and for each child. “Like any good PE teacher you have kids on different levels of ability and you want to challenge them all,” Bernstein said.
“Kids will have their own work space,” Minotti said. “They progress differently, mature differ- ently, hit their peak differently.”
Bernstein points out, “It’s not a remedial program, it’s a remarkable program with kids of all abilities. At 9 years old kids should be building leadership and confidence. I started playing soccer when I was 13. Now 70 or 80 percent quit by that time.”
Backyard Sports will run a similar soccer program in the winter, basketball again in the spring and add baseball next fall. In order to avoid conflicts with existing in-season programs, all Backyard Sports programs will run out of season.
Bernstein does recognize and understand the right of parents to offer their children more than a recreation program, but at the same time he realizes that is not for every- one. He is hoping to attract kids from both sides of the equation, and therefore will tailor his program to meet the needs of every child. “While I dearly cherish the importance of free play, I realize that parents are expecting a lot more for their fee than bringing their kids to a gym or field for a supervised play date,” Bernstein said. “I recognize the irony, but I will be offering a structured environment where the values of free play will be realized. Although my activities will be structured and supervised, the takeaway value of these programs will yield the same benefits that we received in the schoolyard during our childhood.”
Bernstein figured there was no better place to start Backyard Sports than in the community in which he lives. In addition, he already has kids from Rye, Harrison, Purchase and Rye Brook signed up. Registration ended in June.
For Backyard Sports, winning will be redefined.
“It’s difficult when the measure of success is a win,” Bernstein said. “You lose focus when you start that.”